Chicago transit projects for 2015

The CTA is expected to complete repairs to the Brown, Purple Line Express tracks in 2015.

The CTA is expected to complete repairs to the Brown, Purple Line Express tracks in 2015.

Tracy SwartzRedEye

From Red Line and Blue Line station renovations to an express bus system in the Loop, RedEye looks at Chicago transit projects the CTA and the city are expected to tackle next year.

Ventra app: The CTA announced this year it will roll out a Ventra app that will allow Metra riders to use their phones to purchase tickets and CTA riders to use their phones to manage their Ventra accounts. The CTA said it will begin testing the app with a small group of riders in February with the hope of making the app available to the rest of riders in May.

Central Loop bus rapid transit: The city is expected to begin construction early next year in the Loop on a $32 million express bus system called bus rapid transit. The city is slated to create bus-only lanes on two miles of Loop streets, which should improve speeds for six CTA bus routes that serve downtown.

New stations: Cold weather pushed back the opening of the new $50 million Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line stop on the Near South Side to spring, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation, which is managing the project.Work also is expected to begin next year on the new $75 million Washington/Wabash station in the Loop, a combination of the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stops that will be accessible for wheelchair riders. The station is expected to open in 2016.

Subway wireless upgrades: In a $27 million project, the CTA plans to upgrade the wireless network to 4G in the Blue Line subway by the spring and the Red Line subway later in the year so riders will be able to better connect to the Internet on their phones.

Station renovations: CDOT is expected to wrap up renovation to the Clark/Division Red Line stop in Old Town in mid-2015. A new entrance at LaSalle Street opened in June, and the agency is currently rebuilding the Clark Street entrance and platform in a $50 million, three-year project.Also on the Red Line, work will continue on transforming the Wilson stop in Uptown into a transfer point for riders of Purple Line Express trains in a $203 million project. On the South Side, the CTA will continue to expand the 95th Street Red Line station in Roseland and reconfigure the station’s bus pick-up areas to improve traffic flow in a $240 million project.On the Blue Line, the CTA plans to begin work in the fall on renovations to the Addison, Irving Park, Montrose, Harlem and Cumberland stations as part of a four-year, $492 million program to upgrade North Side Blue Line stations and track.

Brown and Purple Line upgrades: By the end of next year, the CTA is slated to finish repairing track between the Merchandise Mart and Armitage stations so Brown and Purple Line Express trains can move faster as part of a $71.2 million project.

Bus tracker signs: The CTA expects to install 140 signs that display bus tracking information by the end of 2015. Seventy of the signs will be at rail stations with frequent bus connections while the other 70 signs will be at busy bus shelters, according to the CTA. More than 250 of these signs already have been set up across the city.

Free CTA rides on New Year’s Eve

CTA riders will be able to ride for free from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday as part of the agency’s annual New Year’s Eve free rides program.